Whatever You Need - Hermione10th Doctor Crossover
by starrnobella
Summary: A chance meeting in a coffee shop, sparks an interesting friendship. COMPLETE


**A/N: I can finally release this story because results of the Hermione's Haven Roll A Prompt Competition have been revealed! This was the story I submitted into the competition. My prompt was Hermione with the 10th Doctor from Dr. Who and the scenario was Imprint. I also made use of the xxDustNight88 prompt:** _windowpane, spoon, hurricane, "Don't you think I tried that already?"_

 **This story received the following awards: _First place in Best Use of Scenario and Runner-Up for both Overall Favorite and Best Relationship Developmen_ t. I am in absolute and utter awe that I was able to do so well in this competition. I was up against amazing authors who all did a wonderful job. I loved all their stories so please go and check them out! **

**I do hope you enjoy this story! Please read and review. The reviews help to encourage writers to keep writing!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of the plot! The quote from Jacob at the beginning belongs solely to Stephanie Meyers. The quote at the end belongs solely to Ralph Nichols!**

 **Love always,**

 **~starr**

* * *

 _"_ "It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like...gravity moves...suddenly. It's not the Earth holding you here anymore, she does… You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, a lover, or a friend."

-Jacob Black, Eclipse

Aimlessly stirring her coffee, Hermione was staring blankly out the window watching the storm approaching her hiding place. The sound of the rain hitting the windowpane was drowning out all of the thoughts about classes that were that were running through her mind. She was deep in thought when the bell on the door of the coffee shop brought her back out of her rain induced rain induced trance. She looked away from the window to see a man entering the shop entering the coffee shop soaking wet from the rain. He looked vaguely familiar, but she just shrugged the thought off and went back to staring out the window listening to the rain. Every so often glancing at him in her peripheral vision just keeping an eye on him. She was curious, but she wasn't quite sure why.

The buzzing of her phone pulled her attention from her secret stalking the gentleman that just walked in. Before she looked down, she had noticed that the mystery man had purchased a banana to go with his coffee. She couldn't help but think how strange of a combination that was. She shrugged it off and picked up her phone to see who was trying to get a hold of her.

Ginny: Don't you think I tried that already? Harry won't take the hint! I'm pretty sure I could walk around naked and it wouldn't phase him right now.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. She felt bad that Ginny was feeling neglected, but she also knew how swamped Harry was with school and work right now. She was pretty sure that Harry would notice if Ginny were to walk around naked. He's a guy after all, she thought. He is a guy after all, she thought. She typed a quick response back to her friend in need and then went back to looking out the window at the storm.

He recognized her as soon as he had entered the shop. The feeling in his heart felt like she was calling out to him. The feeling in his heart felt like she was calling out to him. It was a feeling he couldn't explain in words. It was a feeling that he had known his whole life. A feeling that he had been experiencing since he first made eye contact with made eye contact with her. Many years ago.

It was the first day of primary school for the new school year. He had spotted her from across the room and for a brief moment their eyes met. In that moment he felt the overwhelming need to protect her no matter what the cost.

Every time someone would pick on her or steal a toy from her, he would step in and try his hardest to dry her tears and get the toy back or stop whoever it was that was picking on her. She was smart for her age and unfortunately that meant she unfortunately that meant she was always the butt of some jealous little lad's joke.

John knew how it felt to be picked on. Before the young Hermione had joined his class, it was him being picked on for being the smart one. His intelligence was well beyond his years and he had overheard many teachers say the same thing about Hermione.

When he left primary school for secondary, he didn't see her a lot for a few years. He had had made friends with some people in her classes throughout the years so that he could keep a watchful eye over her from a distance. He would bump into her on occasion when he heard she was having a particularly rough day, but she never seemed to remember him from the time before.

She would smile and acknowledge his kindness, but then she would go on her way. She would smile and acknowledge his kindness, but then she would go on her way.

After he had completed secondary school, he had almost completely lost track of her almost completely. Intermittently he would hear her name or see it written in the papers and would try to track her down, but by the time he got to the area she last was the area she last was, she was nowhere to be found. He would be back to square once again.

Frustrated. Confused. Worried.

Now approximately ten years from his last sighting of her, here he was in a coffee shop where was in a coffee shop where he was just dodging a storm before he went to meet with an old professor from uni standing barely fifteen feet away from her. Luck was in his favor and he decided it was time to introduce himself to her all over again.

Taking a bite of his banana, he walked over towards where she was seated.

"Nasty storm coming in, don't you think?" he asked as he approached, startling her from her apparent thought induced daze. She practically fell out of her seat when she jumped at his voice.

He had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud at her reaction.

"Yeah it is a little crazy. That's a lot of rain," she answered with a smile looking up at the man who startled her and the smile grew larger when she saw it was the man she had been secretly stalking and the smile grew larger when she realized it was the man she was secretly stalking, "I'm Hermione Granger. What's your name?"

She extended her hand to the dark haired gentleman standing beside the table where she was seated with a cup a coffee. A smile spread across his face as he took her hand.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Granger. My name is John Smith. Sorry about startling you just there," he responded cordially, "Mind if I join you?"

"It's alright. I shouldn't have been so focused on the rain," she answered as she smiled and nodded for him to sit down. She was going to be stuck here for a while because of the impending hurricane, so she wouldn't object to the distraction of a handsome man with an attractive Scottish accent.

"So what brings a Scotsman like yourself to the London area? I only guess that from your accent, I only guess that from your accent," she asked curiously as he sat down. Surely there are coffee shops in Scotland that he could visit... she thought to herself waiting for him to answer.

"Your guess is correct. Your guess is correct. I'm here as a guest lecturer today for a friend of mine who is a professor of Psychology over at Worcester College. I decided that coffee sounded good, so I ran in here to hide from the rain to hide from the rain. And by the looks of it outside, I will be staying for a few cups," he said with a chuckle while wiping the rain off of his glasses as he glanced out the window to look at the progression of the storm, "What about you, my dear?"

She smiled when he mentioned that he was going to be a guest lecturer at Worcester because she knew exactly who he was then. Or at least who she thought he was. Although from the looks of him, he didn't look like much of a professional in the Psychology world. He was wearing converse sneakers and a long trench coat. It felt like she was talking to a childhood friend instead of a professional. The only professional look about him were the black framed glasses that had just cleaned from the rain upon his face.

"Oh Merlin! I know exactly who you are! I'm in Professor Azzopardi's class where you'll be speaking today! I've read all of your books about imprinting! I knew you looked familiars! I knew you looked familiar!" she exclaimed before she bent down and she bent over and started shuffling through her bag to find her copy of his last book.

John smiled. He couldn't believe that this remarkable young woman who he had felt a special connection to all of his life was a fan of his work. Somehow he knew that today was destined to happen. By some force of nature, he was supposed to come running into this coffee shop today. It was also nice to be having a conversation with someone who had heard of him before. Most of the people he met had no idea or interest in the ideas of imprinting.

"So are if you are taking Azzopardi's class, I take it that you are a psychology major? Otherwise, you must have an interest in psychology to want to take his class voluntarily," he asked curious about the life that she has led up to this point. The spark in her eyes was so apparent which brought an even bigger smile to his face.

She nodded furiously while still digging in her bag while digging in her bag as she spoke, "Yes I am and I specialize in human behavior and its similarities to animals. Similar to your field of study."

"Found it!" she exclaimed sitting back up pulling the book out of her bag with a big smile on her face, "This is my absolute favorite book that you've written. I carry it everywhere and read it whenever I have a spare moment! I still can't believe I'm actually sitting here talking to you! It's like a dream come true!"

She stopped rambling for the split second to take a sip of her coffee and catch her breath. Before she realized it was still in her drink, the spoon bopped her in the nose taking her by surprise causing her to spill some coffee onto the book.

"Oh no!" she cried as she set her coffee cup down and began patting the pages of the book that had gotten wet with a napkin before the coffee had a chance to stain them.

"Here, let me see," John said taking the book from her hands and pressing his napkin to the book, "if we don't save this copy then I'll get you a fresh copy. I have a bunch of extras at my flat."

He smiled softly at her as he began seeing the happiness spread across her face taking over the sadness that had been so evident taking over the sadness that had begun to appear. He had to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up inside of him because he didn't want to embarrass her with his amusement at how simply he was able to bring a smile to her face.

"You'd really give me a copy of your book?" she asked curiously as she watched him try to save her copy. She couldn't believe that this man who was a complete stranger only moments ago was offering to replace her book even though it was her fault it was potentially ruined in the first place.

"Yes, any student of Azzopardi is a friend of mine," he answered looking at the book frowning slightly, "I'll send a copy to you this afternoon because I don't think this one is going to be saved."

"It's really okay, you don't have to give me a new copy. This one isn't completely ruined. I can still read the pages and it smells good. I can still read the pages. And it smells good. Besides, it will give me a good laugh when I think about what happened," she said taking the book from his hands, briefly brushing her hand against his. She felt a little spark at the connection before she pulled away. She wondered whether or not he felt it too, but she just shook the thought off. Not wanting to make a huge deal out of it.

"Think nothing of it. I'd rather a true fan get a copy of my book rather than see it collecting dust on my living room floor," he said with a smile as he picked up his coffee cup to take a sip.

"Oh, before I forget," he said pulling his phone out of his pocket handing it to her, "Add yourself to my phone that way I can send the book over to you."

She took his phone and smiled as she created a contact for herself. She figured adding her number to his phone wouldn't hurt either. Maybe she could get some insight from him for her final paper in Azzopardi's class. The best reference for this paper would be an interview with a professional. The best reference for this paper would be an interview with a professional in the field.

"Here you go," she said handing it back to him, "I added my phone number as well. Maybe we could get coffee again sometime and talk some more about your ideology on imprinting in human interaction? I'd love to pick your brain about some other topics from Azzopardi's class. Plus it would really help on the final paper to have some insight from a pro."

"I'm sure I'll answer some of your questions in the lecture today, but if I don't..." he paused pressing a few buttons on his phone. Her phone soon began buzzing with a phone number reading across the screen.

"You can text me," he chuckled. She laughed as she picked up her phone and added his number to her phone.

"Thanks."

"No trouble at all. Think this rain will let up before we have to leave to make it to the lecture?"

Hermione couldn't help but giggle as she glanced back out the window watching the storm. She shook her head no. Her giggling was contagious because soon John was laughing as well. Soon the short little giggle fest manifested its way into a full blown laughing fit between the two of them. Neither one of them quite sure why they were laughing so hard. However, they were happy to be in each other's company so it didn't matter why.

Finally, pausing the laughter to take a breath, John was able to say, "I was afraid that was going to be the answer I got." He looked down to check his watch to see how much time was left before he had to meet with Azzopardi. He smiled when he saw that he still had a good hour and a half before they were to meet.

"So tell me, what got you into the world of behavioral psychology? Other than reading my book, of course," he asked taking another sip of his coffee after he spoke. He was looking forward to having a deeper conversation with her about their mutual interest.

"I got into behavioral psychology when I was starting A Level. It was one of the subjects we talked about in my psychology class and it interested me the most," Hermione began, "Even from a young age though, I was interested in how the human mind worked and why we acted a certain way in different situations. It always intrigued how when I was younger that the other students would follow the same behavioral characteristics of the leader in their group. Kind of like a baby duck following its mother, you know what I mean?"

"That kind of thinking is what got me into behavioral psychology as well. I wanted to understand the natural instinct behind it all. That's why I started looking into the idea of imprinting. I also wanted to see if the theory behind Stephenie Meyer's books was a legitimate idea or not," John answered.

"So what did you decide? Was she legitimate or not?" Hermione asked leaning in on her elbows listening intently to what he was saying. Her eagerness for learning really impressed him. It had when he was younger and it was even more impressive now that he was sitting down and having a full blown conversation with her. Not to mention that it was a topic in which he specialized in that they were discussing.

"I don't agree with the stages that she claims a shapeshifter goes through, but I do agree with the jobs that a shapeshifter takes on in the life of the imprintee. I've seen the jobs in action, but not the exact progression of the stages."

He picked up his coffee cup to take a sip before he continued. Watching the eagerness show so apparently on her face made him smile. It was rare for him to find someone who could talk shop with him and actually understand what it was he was saying. That fact alone made him even happier.

"The basic need for humans is the need to be understood. It is the same with all animals as well, which is why they follow after the leaders in their lives such as their parents. For some people to be understood, they need to be protected. For some they need a best friend. And yet for some others they need to be with someone who loves them. So they form connections with other people in their lives that meet that basic need. Maybe someday if the connection is strong enough the need changes and the person, or so called imprinter, goes from a protector to a best friend. Or if the situation calls for it a lover becomes just a best friend."

Hermione couldn't help but stare in awe at what John was saying. She couldn't deny that the same thoughts had passed through her mind a time or two and it was impressive to her that she was hearing them from someone else.

"It completely boils down to being whatever another person, or the imprintee, needs at that time in their life," he said looking from his coffee to her smiling face, "Now that I've bored you with the basic semantics of my talk for today, I'm guessing you aren't going to pay attention while I'm up their speaking."

He laughed as he said this because he knew he was wrong. He knew she'd be hanging on over word that he said, just like she was doing now. He couldn't wait to hear what questions she would have or what she could add to the lecture itself. He knew it was bound to be an interesting appearance for him.

"Are you kidding me? I cannot wait to hear the rest of your talk today! I have been looking forward to it all semester," she exclaimed excitedly causing him to smile. Looking down at her watch she realized that she needed to head back onto campus to get ready for Azzopardi's class.

"So it looks like the rain has lightened up just a little bit, would you like to walk with me over to Azzopardi's lecture hall?" she asked shyly as she started packing up her bag.

John smiled and said, "It would be my pleasure."

Hermione returned the smile as she stood from her chair and gathered their cups. Returning them to the counter, she walked towards the door with John, still pondering why he looked so familiar even before she knew his name.

Brushing the thought aside figuring she would save it for another day, she popped open her umbrella and walked alongside him the whole way to campus. She asked him questions about his book and if he had any plans for an additional book. She also picked his brain about things she could do with her degree after graduation.

He laughed at her eagerness to get a sneak peek into his other ideas. As funny as he found the eagerness, he took the time to answer each of her questions and asked some of his own. The one he found the answer most surprising was what she planned on doing upon graduation of university. She told him that she planned on working for the same research lab that he had done research for before moving onto his guest lecture gig. The same research lab where he was accepting interns for his department's research. He figured that he'd save that information for the lecture.

He couldn't believe how much they had in common. As they went their separate ways at the door to the lecture hall, he told her that she would find the new copy of the book on her doorstep when she got home that evening. He also asked if they could meet again soon to continue their discussions about imprinting and behavioral psychology. She eagerly agreed and gave him a quick hug before heading into the lecture hall.

As John walked towards Azzopardi's office he thought about how he should have asked her if she remembered the boy who also seemed to protect her in primary school, but he decided that it might not be the best thing to bring up the first time they ever spoke. Maybe the next time they got coffee together while hiding out from a hurricane, he thought.

Hermione quickly texted Ginny before class began telling her about the wonderful man she met in the coffee shop this afternoon and how they were going to meet again for coffee. The smile on her face was a bold as ever when class began and John had a matching smile as Professor Azzopardi introduced him.

* * *

When she opened the package on her doorstep that evening, a familiar cover was hidden under the plain parcel wrapping. A small smile formed on her face as she read the author's name on the bottom of the cover. She couldn't believe he had actually sent her a new copy of the book.

The surprise and happiness grew even more when she opened the front cover and found a handwritten acknowledgement added to the first page.

To Hermione:

"The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them."

-Ralph Nichols

Thank you for letting me be whatever you need!


End file.
